Dos and Don’ts of Exercising During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is undoubtedly the most beautiful time in a woman’s life and is a phase when her body changes, to make room for the new member in her life. During this time, it is extremely important to pay a lot of attention to fitness and nutrition so as to avoid any kinds of complications.

Exercising is an important part of being fit but there are several safety rules to exercise during this phase. The following are some of the dos and don’ts of exercising during pregnancy:

Exercising Dos During Pregnancy

DO walk, jog and run during pregnancy but make sure none of it is at a very high intensity level but is moderate in speed and intensity. At a given time, DO only 30 minutes of these sessions.

DO swim but make sure you engage yourself only in moderate or low intensity swimming workouts that do not last for more than 30 minutes.

DO skip back exercises such as back crunches as they may not be safe to do during pregnancy. But DO standing pelvic twists and lying on your hands and knees while concentrating your bringing your belly button towards your spine.

DO join a prenatal yoga class or a Pilate’s class during pregnancy as it can help you achieve good levels of fitness during this phase in life.

Exercising Don’ts During Pregnancy

DON’T make use of heavy weights for any kinds of exercises as these can result in injuries and back aches.

DON’T do any exercise which involves a bouncing or jerking motion or movement during pregnancy. During the third trimester, even the slightest jerking movement is prohibited. What happens is that the hormones during the last trimester make the body more malleable and weight lifting at this time of the pregnancy tends to put a lot of pressure on the bones, ligaments and the tendons. This can in turn make you more susceptible to injury.

DON’T do any kind of an exercise which requires you to lie on your back as this can put a lot of stress on your spine. Stop doing any such exercise from the second trimester onwards.

DON’T play any kind of a sport which involves being in contact or experiencing the contact of another person such as basketball etc. DON’T engage in sports which may make you more prone to losing your balance. The center of gravity is off during pregnancy and tumbling is pretty easy.

DON’T play any sport of do any physical exercise which requires you to twist or compress your spine, torso or abdominal area. All twisted yoga poses are off limits and so are weighted squats, crunches and overhead presses.

DON’T exercise for more than 3-5 days in a week because the body needs plenty of rest during this time and it must get that, no matter what. If you experience dizziness, fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath or uterine contractions, then you must immediately stop your workout and get some rest. Always consult your doctor before engaging in any physical activity.

Dos and Don’ts of Exercising During Pregnancy was last modified: December 19th, 2017 by Swathi